Darker Thoughts
by Obsidian.Nymph
Summary: A new Contracter is in town. Trying to find her way after the Hell's Gate incident, she has to work with BK201 and his team. But with their unique personalities, will Tokyo survive this time?
1. Welcome to Tokyo

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Chapter 1

I slid off the park bench that had become my temporary shelter and strolled towards the newspaper seller. He was a middle-aged male who looked like the better days of his life had already passed him, but even though I looked too young for him, I caught the glint in his eye before he could hide it.

"Well, hello there. Today's newspaper is at a discount offer. Only 100 Yen. A lovely offer for a lovely lady."

He twisted his lips when he said 'lovely', turning a harmless word into a filthy expression. I pursed my lips and tried to calm myself down. I had to remember that I could easily kill this piece of vermin, holding out my hand as if to shake his and then with my hair hiding my eyes, all I had to do was give into the feeling in my head and the beast would take over. He would clutch his heart like he was having a heart attack, No external evidence. I would look like a helpless bystander who was supporting him. All I had to do. But I couldn't because I was trying to suppress the monster inside. I didn't need more deaths on my conscience. I opened my mouth to respond.

"Hi."

With my foreign accent, the way I said it made it sound like I was saying his name. To my surprise and bemusement, a man walking past turned to look at me before continuing on his journey to his destination. I got a good look at him and I was surprised. He was tall and lanky but not too slim like those rather feminine guys you see nowadays, who spend more time on their hair than we girls do. He had messy midnight hair, like he had run his fingers through it before. His eyes were a inky blue, so dark that you had to strain to see where his pupils began. He was also quite good looking.

And he was gone, slipping into a crowd of workers as they headed to their offices.

_Well, bye then... _

And I turned my attention back to the newspaper seller. I deposited the vestiges of my purse into his grubby palm and took a newspaper from his other hand. Wandering back to my little bench, I flicked open to the vacancy page and read it briefly, only looking for cheaper rooms. I found one that seemed suitable. It was in the suburbs of the city, the house of an old lady called Mrs. Tanaka, who was in the business and had several rooms but only one was vacant. It seemed perfect. Gathering my bags, I wistfuly said bye to the park bench that had been my dwelling for the past few days and walked towards the place that was to be my new start.

Tokyo had always been a mystery to me. Even when I was little and things like Heaven's Gate and Hell's Gate hadn't occured, I still wanted to visit the city to see what it would be like. It didn't dissapoint me, even after all these years. The noise and pollution took some time to get adjusted to but they all added to the thrill. I was like a child on a ride that they shoudn't be on and I was enjoying every minute of it.

But the darkness was there too.

Crime and drugs had become a way of life for some of the people here and they were caught in a vicious circle that showed no signs of ever relenting. Hell's Gate loomed in the distance, an ever constant reminder to the people that there were things above and beyond them at work here. To the few who were informed, they had to spend their lives in suspicion. Paranoia became a common feeling to them. And to top it off, the reason they were paranoid was because of people like me.

_And what we've done._

To the few that knew we existed, we were called Contracters.


	2. Home Sweet Home

Chapter 2

I enjoyed my walk through the city; somehow I had managed to miss the morning rush hour. With its modern glass buildings with their hulking frames combined with the more traditional types of houses near the edges of the city, Tokyo was a clash of cultures. I was rapidly losing sight of the tall polished structures that were being replaced with rows of houses and flats that screamed 'conventional'.

I had entered the suburbs.

Unfolding the newspaper, to check I had the right address, I made my way towards a block of flats where a sweet looking old lady stood with a broom. As I walked towards her, she didn't move. Now that I was closer I could see why.

She was having a staring match with an adorable black cat that was perched on the fence with a superior look in its violet eyes.

_Right, excellent choice. Pick the house that has the pyscho land-lady and the strange animals. I have such brilliant choices._

Before I could turn around and escape, the old lady finally noticed me and whirled around to face my rapidly retreating back.

"Oi, you! Are you here about the room?"

I winced internally at being caught in the act of running away.

"Yes, but I can come back at another time if you're busy right now."

_Damn. Why don't you just tell her that you saw her having a mental cat fight _(excuse my pun XD)_ with the kitty. You might as well stick a label on her that says psychotic._

With a look of utter glee, which I didn't understand, she ran to me and grabbed my arm. Jeesh, for an old lady she had a grip of steel! Next thing I know, I'm being dragged (literally) up a flight of stairs and along a corridor of doors. She stopped at the second room in the hallway.

"This is the room. It's one of the biggest I've got. It has everything you need so you could move in right away." Then with an afterthought "It's also going cheap."

I was sold. I could ACTUALLY have my own place. After a life of only the most basic amenities, it looked like pure heaven. But I was confused as to why the price of the rent was so low. I told her as much as well.

The fact she looked shifty wasn't too encouraging. Then she looked at me and finally relented.

"The woman who lived here was a suspect for something and then she got murdered. It was a while back though, so you have no need to panic. I didn't like her anyway. You should have seen some of the outfits she stepped out in..."

Before she could start on her major bitchin' session about a dead woman, I was startled to see none other than Gorgeous Guy from the park stepping out of the room next door.

_Great. Don't make it look like you're stalking him or something._

"Hi."

He nodded his head to us and went on his way. Before he could run away, I ogled him bit more. He had the most **luscious **collarbones I had ever seen on a man. And he was wearing casual clothes, so maybe he was a student? I was interrupted in my thoughts by the old lady or Mrs. Tanaka as the rent page had said.

"That's Li. He's only been here for a few months. A foreign exchange student from China, you know. He's pretty quiet but he works and what not. Better than some of the other lazy kids that stay here." She glared at me before continuing her tale "You better not be one of those kids. If you are then I will make sure you hand in your rent on time. Li has always been punctual in paying me."

_Good Lord! She makes this Li kid sound like a bloody saint. Punctuality, eh? Quiet, Punctual...doesn't sound like any student I've ever seen. Is he secretly hiding something? Nah, this is just my imagination spinning wildly out of control...as usual._

Once again, Mrs. Tanaka cut short my mental conversation.

"So are you going to stay? Cos I'm a busy lady and I can't spend all my time standing, dawdling here with you."

"Yes, and don't worry ...I'm also your punctual type."

She gave me a slightly toothy smile and motioned for me to step inside. I paid for the month using what was in my purse. I was going to have to get a job to keep myself afloat. After I interrupted her as she was beginning to tell me an anecdote, she left in a mild strop. Oh, well.

* * *

It was finally getting dark. I glanced at myself in the mirror for the quick check-over. It was floor length so I could see my clothes as well. I had showered and changed during the day so I looked fresh. My hair was in its usual mess so it flopped over my eyes in waves and loose curls. I had it short so it just touched my chin because I had learnt that long hair is a disadvantage in fights. And I had been in plenty of them. It was currently black but in the light it turned red. I loved experimenting with my hair colour.

My skin had lightened to a sandy shade, and with my brown eyes and coral lips, I looked like a Japanese girl not just some weird tourist. My clothes were the usual eclectic disarray that looked nice on my petite 5"2 figure. I wasn't overly pretty but I wasn't plain. I didn't care though. I had no-one to notice me. I hadn't been in a relationship for a long time. They, well mine, always ended in tragedy. I had given up on love as some people would say.

With that I turned from the mirror and out the door. I was going to meet the new team I was in. The Syndicate said that I was to go to a play-park near our house where I would meet the other 4 team members. I was nervous and excited at the same time.

The night sky was a dusky plum and the stars were shining. But then again, they were always shining. The real stars hadn't been seen in 10 years but even these stars were better than looking at nothing. But when you knew the truth, you realised that these stars were linked with contractors. When one of us fell, so did their star. I thought back to when I was little and my mother would tell me how whenever a person died, their soul became a star.

_After my father died or whatever happened to him in the Heaven's Gate incident, I would always look to the stars at night and wish that he was one of them and that he was looking down on me while I slept._

I stopped in front of the play-park and saw the huddled figures of three people and what looked like one cat. Interesting. Where was the other person? I nervously ran my fingers through my hair then pushed open the gate that led to the park.

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**Author's Note:** Hope you like it so far! I couldn't help but put in the bit about Hei's LUSCIOUS collarbones XD And don't forget to review!! They make me happy!


	3. Meet the Team

Chapter 3

Deep breaths. Just remember to stay calm. It had been a while since I was last on a team and I ended up nearly killing one of my associates. Let's just say I had anger management issues.

_Ha. If by issues you mean you have a natural instinct to kill anyone who opposes your schemes. Pshttt. _

But that was the old me. I had learnt my lesson and had even tried to take up something that would help me like meditating. It didn't work but I had tried it so that meant that I was changing.

I was getting closer to the people (and cat) so I tried to stop my mental chatter and concentrate on getting there without tripping up and falling on my face. I couldn't remember the last time I was this nervous. Then I reached the bench around the tree, I saw that there were two men, one middle aged and one young, and a young girl with hair like moonlight. The men were turned around but the girl was facing me and I saw myself reflected in her violet eyes. She nodded her head and then turned to the others to tell them I was there.

"Hei, Huang, Mao. She's here."

I looked around trying to see where the third person was before I realised that the cat that had been sitting on the bench next to the girl had turned to face me. Something about it triggered my memory and I recognised it as the cat that Mrs. Tanaka had been trying to out-stare.

"Hello, you must be Jain. My name is Mao. That is Yin, Hei and Huang"

I tried to keep my poker face. THE CAT WAS TALKING TO ME. Calm. Breathe. I tried to be rational. He was probably a contractor, so that meant that his ability was that he could 'possess' either animals or people. I was guessing animals by the looks of things. I turned to face the others. They looked normal. The young man hadn't turned around yet so I couldn't see his face. As if in response to my thought, he started spun around and looked me in the eyes.

_OH MY GOD. He's...He's the... HE'S THE GORGEOUS GUY FROM THE PARK AND MY APARTMENT BLOCK!_

And once again I just couldn't help notice, he was wearing a vest top and a green jacket, how **luscious **his collarbones were. Honestly, they should be illegal. But why were they all saying his name was something else when he had told Mrs. Tanaka that his name was Li? Thankfully my brain saved me from opening my mouth and looking like an idiot with my first sentence.

_Duh! He is probably called something else really and Li is like a fake name. No wonder he is always quiet around there... he's a contractor. I knew he couldn't have been a student._

He was staring at me as if I was a ghost. Apparently he remembered who I was too. I could tell that the shocked look on his face was also mirrored on mine.

He finally gathered his wits and introduced himself.

"Hello, I'm Hei." Motioning to the pretty girl who was sitting quietly on the bench "This is Yin and the man over there is Huang." I hadn't heard him talk before and I was surprised.

"Errr....Hi? I'm Jain if you hadn't heard already. The Syndicate assigned me to your team but I assume that you haven't been told the details. I wasn't informed about the particulars either but I hope that we can sort that out soon."

He nodded and motioned towards Huang. He stepped towards me and glared at me. Great, somebody who already hates me.

"Right listen, I am the leader of this team and I will make sure at all times that you won't over-step your boundaries. You listen to my orders and I don't want any stupid contractor business."

Then with a huff, he stepped back into the shadows and sat down on a step of a slide that didn't look like it could bear his girth. I would have told him but I bit back the retort since I understood that if I said anything of the like then he would start insulting all contractors and it looked like he was pretty pissed off at us, so it would be a while before he would run out of steam. I must have looked shocked as I turned around because Mao uncurled himself and slunk towards me before rubbing his back against my legs.

"Don't worry about him; he's like that with everybody."

I nodded and crouched down so I could start scratching his head. I loved animals but always being on the run meant that I couldn't provide the stability and care needed for a pet. But with Mao, I found that he really enjoyed head scratches. That was very cat-like of him and I was pleasantly surprised. I was so engrossed in petting Mao that I had forgotten that Yin and Hei were still there. Blushing slightly at my silly behaviour, I turned and realised that Yin was staring at me. I realised that she wasn't very vocal and also pretty emotionless.

_Must be a Doll. I don't really know much about them. Mental note – find out more information about Dolls._

She waved her hand at me again and I smiled back. Strangely, she put her finger on the corner of her lip and pushed it up so that it looked like she was half smiling and half grimacing. It was sweet in a creepy sort of way.I motioned to ask if I could sit next to her and she nodded her head. Giving Mao a final stroke, I made my way to the bench and sat down beside her. It was silent but not the awkward type. Peaceful. At least until Huang broke it.

"Jain, you're a heartless cold contractor. The Syndicate sent you to us for a reason. What is your ability? And your payment?"

All of a sudden, I was scared. The last group the Syndicate had sent me to nearly killed me when I told them. True, I had tried to murder their leader but I was in a blind rage at the time and couldn't control my emotions. I was too much of a threat to them but that was when I was merely angry. I was now trying to control my feelings and I reminded myself to be brave. I wasn't the worst of our kind yet some people treated me like I was. I mustered my courage before it could desert me and steeled myself for their reaction.

"I can accelerate an object to the speed of light, causing them to explode. I have had a problem in the past that when I am in rage, I can do it to a lesser extent."

They all just nodded and Mao started to lick his paw.

_I have just told them that I can make them explode and this is their reaction? Where are the gasps and looks? They look like I told them I can control rabbits! Not even the slightest shock, but then again...isn't that what I wanted. For the first time, I'm not being labelled as a freak even among freaks._

Smiling, I turned to look at Hei and saw that he was gone. So were Mao and Huang. Yin was still here but even she was getting up slowly. The sunrise explained the reason for their disappearances. I gave one final wave to Yin and made my way back to the apartment.

Today was looking hopeful.


	4. Every Restaurant's Dream or Nightmare

Disclaimer: I do **NOT** own Darker for Black (Doesn't stop me from dreaming though. XD)

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Chapter 4

I found the walk back to the apartment relaxing. I took my time instead of rushing because for once I felt calm. The inner turmoil had settled now that I knew that Huang and the others didn't care about my ability. That reminded me. I hadn't told them about my payment.

_Oh well, it's their fault for pulling a vanishing act before I could finish telling them everything. Guess they don't really care. Too bad._

I reached the apartment block in record time, even though I had been walking slowly. That was weird. Guess I hadn't been walking as slow as I thought I had. Mrs. Tanaka was already up and armed with her broom when I strolled up the stairs. She glanced at me suspiciously.

"Where've you been this early in the morning? I'd have thought it's a bit early on for you students to be awake."

"Oh. I...errr...went for a morning walk. Nothing like those first rays of sunlight to start of your day."

She nodded her head in approval and continued sweeping an already immaculate floor. Breathing a quick sigh of relief, I bounded up the stairs only to nearly crash into Hei. Li. Whatever his name is. He looked shocked then gave me a quick smile.

"Hi."

_Oh My God. He's talking to you!! Don't stand there gawping. Talk, woman, talk! You look like a goldfish!_

"You look like a goldfish. Oh...I ...errr...meant...do you like fish?"

I mentally slapped myself and waited for his embarrassed reply. He looked amused but then he tried to straighten his expression. It ended up looking like he was going to sneeze. I had that effect on people.

"Yes, I do. I'm going for breakfast at the place near the end of this street; do you want to join me?"

He was asking me to join him for breakfast. I was going to have a nervous breakdown. Breathe. Calm.

_Reply soon or he's going to think that the Syndicate put a retard on the team._

"Yes. I haven't had breakfast yet."

Suddenly, a rumble echoed across the area. I immediately went on the alert. It sounded like an earthquake. Then I realised that Hei looked mortified, more so than his usual self. He pulled at his collar before explaining his reaction.

"That's...ummm...me. Don't worry, it's just my stomach. It does that to inform me I'm hungry."

I was mystified. How hungry can he be that his stomach sounds like it could be an EARTHQUAKE? I just smiled, in a hopefully convincing way, and motioned for him to lead the way.

* * *

We walked past Mrs. Tanaka, who looked like Christmas had come early for her....she was going to have a major bichin' session with her friends once we'd gone...I could tell, and towards the river. It was only early morning yet there was already a crowd around the little sushi vendor. Next to him was a ramen vendor so they had a little crowd around them of hungry breakfasters.

When Hei walked over with me, I could feel the stares of all the females in the vicinity on my back. It felt like they were all glaring at me. I could actually see that one girl, with bright pink hair and a cos-play cat costume on, actually looked like she would stab me with the little wooden chopstick she held.

_I guess, that he has lot of admirers here. Not good. I don't want to get stabbed just because I had breakfast with him._

We settled at a table and the waitress brought over a bowl of ramen and fish. No wonder he said he liked fish before. He was gulping it down as fast as I could breathe. I realised I was staring and then hurriedly started eating my own ramen. By the time I was finishing my first bowl, he was on his sixth. I was full by my second but he was on his twelfth before he let out a sigh of contentment. Wow. What's unfair is when we stood up, he didn't even look like he'd consumed triple the calories need daily in a single meal. We didn't really talk that much since he spent all his time eating and I spent mine watching him. When we finished, the waitress shot me a glare before turning to him with a grudging smile.

"Is that all? You've eaten less than normal. Are you on a diet, Li-san?"

LESS THAN NORMAL! I nearly collapsed. He just shrugged and gave me a brief smile before stepping towards the door. The pink haired girl watched me carefully before staring at Hei with a blissful smile on her face. He didn't notice her, instead only looking at me.

We were out of the diner, before he turned to me.

"I've got to get to work now so I'll be heading towards town. If you're not going that way then I guess I'll see you later."

I shook my head and smiled.

"No, it's fine. I have to go to town and to my future job. I'm currently trying to get into working at the restaurant in the American Embassy."

He nodded thoughtfully before starting to walk at a slow pace.

"So when you say in the American Embassy, you mean as like there is something going on there and you've been sent to investigate."

"Exactly like that. There have been reports of possible terrorist attacks in the next few days so I have been trying to get as much information as I can."

"Well, I think that contractors are behind them, so we'll be hanging around the vicinity as well."

"Hmm, that would explain why the police could never find the bombers...."

"Hai, that's the most likely reason."

We pondered our theories in silence, before I realised that we were close to the Embassy.

"Well, I'll be off now. The restaurant entrance is in this next turn. See you later, Hei."

"Yes, goodbye and arigato for the company."

I blushed slightly and walked towards the restaurant. I hadn't blushed in a while, and I was confused at my reaction. He was only being friendly. I entered the chilled entrance of the restaurant but was surprised to find that there was hardly anybody there. A trail of blood explained why. Following it, I nearly fell over the corpse of the head waiter. His eyeballs had been removed and the empty sockets sickened me. I looked around and all the dead bodies had the same mutilated faces.

I knew who had done it though.

_Contractors._

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**Author Note: **Thank you Dear4Life for reviewing. I realised that I'd missed out her obesiance after I published the chapter but don't worry...you'll find out what it is soon XD

I'm glad you're enjoying it but for anybody who has read it but hasn't reviewed...REVIEW!!! PLEASE! My review munster is lonely : ( xxx


	5. Interrogations and Revelations

**AN: **I'm so sorry for not posting earlier but my life has been pretty hectic, with coursework to be handed in and annoying school stuff. As a consolation, remember '_Good things come to those who wait'_. Hope you enjoy the chapter and I promise to update soon. XD

Oh, and I don't own Darker than Black, blah, blah, blah, you know the rest. I also didn't come up with Sherlock Holmes; he is a figment of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's imagination.

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Chapter 5

I followed the trail of blood like a bloodhound. Everywhere I looked, I saw more and more bodies. Twisted and all with empty sockets, gazing at me with a parody of a smile on their cold lips. I blinked to keep the tears out of my eyes. I didn't want to break down now. Not now, when I could actually do something good and avenge these poor people.

_Well, there's always a first time for everything._

"Shut up." I didn't care if anybody saw me then, I doubt there was anybody left but I really didn't want my own mind against me.

I continued to search the area, hoping and wishing that somebody had survived this. But the longer I searched, the more horror I saw and the more it dawned on me that this was a full-out massacre.

Finally, after the looking through the entire restaurant, I made my way into the back alley. I caught a dark shadow flitting away but before he could escape, my eyes began to glow and its leg exploded into a mass of darkness. Somewhere close by, someone screamed in pain. I was right. It was contractors.

_Nice job, Sherlock. Now how about you stop stating the obvious and actually try and find the cretin who did this?_

Stupid mind. It had a knack of startling me, if that's even possible, and I really didn't need it right now.

I snapped out of that mental conversation when I saw Hei running past the street. I assumed he was also heading towards the source of the cry so I followed him. I managed to catch up to him after forcing myself to sprint. I really didn't like running.

"Hei, there you are. Someone has massacred everybody in the restaurant. I managed to get them but just."

"I know."

I realised that he looked quite different. He had on a creepy mask and he had replaced his green jacket for a black trench coat that made him look dangerous. VERY dangerous. I realised then, that I hadn't fully comprehended that he was also a contractor. He seemed to behave like a normal human being, not like the others who thought themselves better and behaved like they were gods. No, he acted as normal as he could. Like me.

We ran in silence until he started to slow down before turning into a dingy alleyway. Not as nervous as before, I followed his lead. There were a few bins scattered around and another trail of crimson blood. It was splattered all around us like whoever it belonged to had been hopping then dragging themselves forward. They had me to thank for that. A cat ran out from behind one of the bins that had been upturned and mewled in distress. It darted towards me and began rubbing itself against my legs, leaving short ginger hairs in my tights.

I bent down to stroke it gently on its head before pushing it on its way. I didn't want to see it get harmed. Hei looked at me strangely before walking towards a black bin that had a pool of blood around it.

I chose to ignore the look he had given me and followed him instead, wary and ready to defend myself. As we reached the bin, I saw the man that had been responsible for the gruesome killings and felt a savage pride at being able to inflict some pain on him for what he had done.

_But not enough pain. You should have been crueller, blown up his arms as well. You can still do it. Let me take over... for once._

No. I shouldn't. I wouldn't. I kept the carnal rage inside me under control and I didn't want to see what disaster it could wreak if I let it loose. I admit that I was scared of it... scared of myself.

I looked up to see Hei stare at the contractor. His gaze seemed to be crackling with electricity. I forced myself to look at the person instead. He was staring at both of us, fear shining in his eyes, making them appear glazed. He had to be around our age, and he dressed like a student but there was a cold depth to his features that I saw. His clothes were all bloodied and slightly damp and he reeked of terror. Where his leg should have been, there was a stump that was bleeding profusely.

After that, I couldn't seem to look at him anymore so I concentrated on Hei. He turned to me and nodded. Time to begin the interrogation.

I coughed and the man turned his gaze to focus on me. It seemed to cause him pain but I didn't care. He deserved it.

"What's your name and who do you work for?"

His eyes narrowed and he glared at me in defiance. And there I was, hoping that this would be easy.

"If you're not willing to talk.... I have other methods that would work just as well..."

I let the threat hang in the air. He gulped and I was glad that I was getting to him. But he still refused so I sighed at the thought of what I had to do next. My mind was not so sad though.

_Now THIS is fun. We haven't done some good old torturing for a while now. You may be a bit rusty if all we have to compare are your earlier effort._

WHY did my mind have to be so annoying? It really did pick its moments.

I flicked my finger at his hand and he screamed and writhed in pain as it burst into a hundred chunks of flying flesh. Hei looked at us as if he were merely watching a scene in a movie, not as if it were happening in front of him right now. In the back of my mind, I wondered what he had seen that had made his heart so cold and allowed him to view such disturbing things like this without so much as batting an eyelash.

"You can answer my question or my little game can continue as long as you have body parts."

The man shivered in response then started to open his mouth, drawing in a shuddering breath before replying.

"M...My name i...is Jack.... and I w...work for the E...Evening Primrose"

"Good. Now then, if you're willing to co-operate I promise I won't kill you."

He looked relieved and nodded his head. However I looked at Hei and he also nodded but more subtly so that Jack wouldn't see. He had understood the catch in my promise. I hoped that Jack wouldn't.

To my surprise, Hei asked the next question.

"Why did you kill all those people?"

"To let the world know about Contractors. We shouldn't be cowering in the dark because some stupid government is afraid to tell some equally stupid humans about our existence. "

Jack seemed to have regained some of his courage. His face was pale and dripping with sweat yet he still had a hint of a sneer in his voice.

_Well, we don't seem to have made much of a difference. Let's just give him another lesson in humility._

I flicked my hand again and his thumb on his remaining hand exploded. He stared at it with wide eyes. He had realised that I hadn't been glowing like I had done that previous time.

"I'm sorry but I didn't like your answer."

He trembled in fear and looked pleadingly at Hei but his face remained impassive.

"Tell us the name of your leader..."

"Amber."

Hei's eyes widened, for the first time I had ever seen, and grew dark. The man realised he had said the wrong thing. He started to drag himself away from us but he didn't manage to get very far. Hei leapt over him and blocked his only way of escape.

"She isn't back....she can't be! You better not be lying, you twisted piece of shit!" he hissed.

I stared, shocked at him. I hadn't heard him swear before and right now he looked very deadly. The man frantically shook his head then scoffed at him.

"What...you afraid of a little girl?"

That was the last thing he ever said for while he finished his sentence, he lurched forward and in a lightning fast move, slit the man's throat while electrocuting him. He continued to glow for a moment before his eyes lost the red glean and his breathing slowed down.

"Well, now I know your power, I can understand why you weren't so bothered when I told you mine" I muttered under my breath. He clearly deserved his reputation as the Black Reaper.

He lifted his head and I saw myself reflected in the cold depths of his masks black eyes. Behind that, eyes which must have reflected the coldness of the mask, eyes that had been warm and full of laughter when I had breakfast with him, what was only a few hours ago.

_I guess everyone has a darker side to them..._

* * *

The shrill sound of a police car startled me back into reality and I hurried towards him. He turned and ran towards the alley entrance before grabbing me around the waist. I gasped in surprise only to feel my feet leaving the ground as he swung from streetlight to streetlight, the world flying beneath our feet and the police siren becoming a distant cry, fading into the background.

We finally reached what must be a safe place and I realised it was the back of our apartment block. He checked around the corner than ran up the stairs, me following swiftly on his tail. Pausing outside his room, he turned to face me while removing his mask. His eyes seemed like depthless pools of midnight blue, as I stared at them and I blushed a little.

I shouldn't be having thoughts like that about a co-worker. Should I?

_Why are you asking me, Einstein? You can have whatever thoughts you want...I just make snide comments about them afterwards. _

"Arigato. For helping back there. Now you are a part of the team. I'll inform Mao and he'll tell Huang about what we found out."

I nodded gratefully, I didn't have any energy left in me to do or say anything else. I slipped into my room as he turned and entered his. It felt like home, and I quickly ran towards the mattress and sunk into its blissfully cosy depths. I felt the need to pay my contract tug at me though, a constant nag that was becoming louder and louder in my head. I stifled the urge to scream. I quickly ran to the bathroom that was in the adjoining room that served as a living room. The tap on the bathtub was turned onto high and soon the room was filled with steam as boiling water filled the small tub.

I quickly stripped off and turned the tap off. I slipped in, wincing at the feel of water burning my flesh. I scrubbed myself clean of the man's blood so that the water was stained a dull scarlet. The urge to remunerate was now so strong that I couldn't get control of myself to drag me out the water and into the bedroom. I couldn't stop myself.

Slowly, so slowly, I lowered my head underneath the water and slipped into a world of dreams. Flashes of the faces of people I've maimed or killed. My breath came out in bursts of bubbles on the surface of the water. Images burned into my mind, seared permanently on my brain. I sobbed a little and started to choke on the bloodied water. But I couldn't wake myself up; my limbs were no longer in my control... I was slowing drowning.

I managed to let out an underwater scream, only allowing more water to slip down my throat. I felt as if my insides were burning yet I couldn't wake up from this nightmare.

Unexpectedly, I felt someone lift me out of the water, someone was shouting words to me but I couldn't make out what they were saying... then the sensation of cold air on my naked flesh. I was in someone's arms and then I felt myself sink into the mattress of my bed.

Thank you, I wanted to say but my lips still wouldn't move. Instead I sighed quietly and sank back into a deep slumber, knowing that I would wake up soon and see the face of whoever saved me. I would thank them then. I felt them pull my blanket over me, a warm hand lingering on my shoulder before quickly stroking my face.

_Thank you._

_

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_

**AN:** So, how did you like it? I think the irony of Jain and Bai having the same payment was just too much for me to resist. I made this a slightly longer chapter because I felt like you deserved it. XD

Reviews make my world go round. (That's a not-so-subtle hint, by the way).

Any ideas on anything? Just want to say something? REVIEW!

Lotsa love,

O.N


	6. Embarrassing, Amusing and Very Confusing

**AN: **I'm so sorry for not updating sooner, please don't be mad!! *ducks out of way of flying vegetables* I've had an EXTREMELY busy schedule with exams and then DofE finals. For those who don't know what that is, you go traipsing around the countryside carrying a rucksack that is about your own weight and you have to camp overnight in ridiculously cold weather for June. There was FROST, people! FROST in JUNE?! I have enough blisters to make any self-respecting masochist proud.

But it's over now, and I've got plenty of time to update. Not as much as I hoped but I've only got a bit of time left before the summer holidays and then I can update to my heart's desire.

Right, I've finished ranting, hope you enjoy the chapter.

****

Disclaimer: I don't own anything of Darker than Black apart from my own creations (Jain). As much as I want to own Hei, I don't. Happy?!

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Chapter Six

My mouth felt dry and my mind was blurry.

I shuffled around in my warm bed, trying to make myself more comfortable. Then I realised what had happened.

Sitting up, my bed cover fell down as I tried to rub the sleep from my eyes and when I could finally focus I saw a rather embarrassed Hei who was staring at me like he'd never seen me before, then turning away with his cheeks flushed crimson. I was confused about his reaction before I realised I was feeling a nice breeze in the chest department.

Oh.

My.

God.

I quickly pulled up the quilt to try and preserve the scraps of modesty I had left. This really wasn't how I imagined thanking him. Providing him with a free show wasn't on my list of things to do. I felt mortified.

My mind was in stitches though.

_Did you see his face? It was priceless. Didn't expect you to do that now, did he?_

I was already flustered but my mind clearly didn't think the embarrassment was enough.

"Hei?" I nervously cleared my throat, "You can...ermm...turn around now. I'm covered." My face felt like it was on fire and his wasn't any better. He fidgeted with the collar of his shirt before turning around to face me. His cheeks still looked flushed and his eyes were burning a hole through my floor but he managed to answer in a somewhat calm voice.

"I'm so sorry Jain-san, I wanted to ask you if you felt like grabbing a something to eat, and then I hear you in the bathroom and I was about to leave but I heard you scream and...and...I rushed in and I saw your head underwater and you weren't breathing so I carried you out and placed you in your bed. And I'm really sorry about now..."

I couldn't really focus except think how cute he sounded when he was apologizing, like a schoolboy seeking pardon from a teacher.

_Bad Jain, shouldn't be thinking thoughts like that about a colleague, you naughty girl. _

Mental cringe. My mind was too dirty for its own good. I really shouldn't have thought that. While Hei continued to sputter apologies with his head bent in shame, I gathered my quilt and draped it toga-like on me and walked to him. When I was finally close enough, I placed a finger under his jaw and lifted it so he was looking at me.

"Arigato, Hei. You saved my life. You shouldn't apologize for that." I felt sad that he felt the need to apologize even after doing a good deed, albeit with a few slip-ups. He stopped speaking and stared at me with those midnight eyes. They really were amazing.

_Bad thoughts again, you really are very bad at sticking to your resolve._

I shook my head, in an attempt to clear my thoughts and moving my finger from under his chin, walked back to the bed. I lay down and closed my eyes, focusing on my senses. I felt him move towards the door and heard the click of it closing shut. But before that I heard a quiet, almost silent," You're welcome." I sighed and concentrated on counting sheep, slowly slipping off into the world of dreams.

* * *

When I woke, I was shivering slightly and realised that the window had been opened and it was night time. Mao sat on the windowsill, gracefully licking himself clean. I smiled and carefully sat up, determine not to flash anyone else and scar them for life. Even if it is a cat. He lifted his head to scrutinize me before continuing to wash himself.

"Hei told us why you missed the meeting today. Huang allowed it at the moment but said if it happens again then he's going to kick you off the team and tell the syndicate to send someone more responsible next time. He also said some more rude things about contractors but I think that you won't mind skipping that little detail."

I smiled "Thank you, I definitely don't mind."

He paused in his ministrations to look at me once more, "And how are you feeling? Hei looked worried for you. Not often he does that, you know."

I blushed slightly at the mention of Hei before replying "I'm fine. I forgot to tell you about my payment. It was my carelessness. I go to sleep regardless of where I am. It isn't as bad as some others I've heard of but it has its drawbacks."

Mao looked shocked, well as shocked as a cat can look, before his expression turned thoughtful. "That's interesting...."

"What is?" I didn't like being left out regarding information and I could see him debating over whether to tell me or not.

He finally sighed and said "It's not for me to say, so you'll have to ask Hei as it concerns him. But it does explain why he was so upset at the meeting. There is another one tonight, by the way. Get changed and hurry up or you'll be late."

I scowled in frustration and proceeded to give him a quick scratch on his head, which he seemed to enjoy, before grabbing him roughly by the scruff of his neck and stomping out my room. I flung the door open with my free hand, quilt still draped on me like a toga, and walked downstairs with Mao hissing and spitting like the angry cat he was.

Mrs. Tanaka was collecting the last of the litter my neighbours had made and smiled at me before noticing the cat in my hand.

"I hope you haven't been keeping him as a pet, dearie. Strict no-animals policy here." She was glaring daggers at Mao and he seemed to be glaring right back.

"Oh, no..."I replied sweetly with an innocent smile "This little critter has been sneaking into my room and made a bit of a mess in it. I've cleaned it up now but I was wondering about what to do with him..."

Mao's eyes widened and he glanced at me with a pleading look. But I wasn't going to let him off easily after he wouldn't tell me what he knows. I was going to enjoy watching him squirm.

Mrs. Tanaka's eyes lit up with a slightly mad glee and she snatched him with one of her wrinkled hands from me. Her mouth was stretched in a big smile and I was thoroughly enjoying Mao trying to escape from her grip by flailing about. But he wouldn't be able to escape her until she let him because that woman had a grip of steel. I remembered how painful it was and unconsciously rubbed my wrists from the memory. I focused on what she was muttering.

"Now, I must try and find that recipe of cat soup, where did I put that dratted book..."

_Wow. She beats me hands down in the insanity department. And I thought __**I**__ was twisted._

I felt a bit of pity for Mao and coughed loudly to distract her. Seizing the opportunity, he twisted in her grip and with a loud yowl, darted free. He stopped on the stone wall for a few seconds to glare viciously at me and Mrs. Tanaka, who was now shouting expletives at him while waving her bin bag furiously, before gliding off with his usual feline grace.

I would deal with his anger at the meeting tonight but until then I had time to entertain myself with memories of it. I waved distractedly at Mrs. Tanaka who waved back cheerfully, and slipped upstairs and into my room. I changed into some fresh clothes and after washing my blood-stained ones, hung them up to dry outside the window. Happy that I looked respectable, I quickly pulled my shoes on and hurried downstairs. Mrs. Tanaka had gone inside and the night was unusually quiet, with only the fake stars giving me there company. I smiled at the thought of Mao at this meeting then increased the pace of my walk until I was gently jogging towards the little playground.

_That was amusing._

And for once, I actually agreed with my brain.

**

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**

**AN:**

**Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, and PLEASE for the LOVE OF ALL THNGS CHOCOLATEY, review. We authors like to be appreciated once in a while and it isn't hard. Just press the button below, type in a nice (or not nice depending on your feelings) comment and hey presto! I'm a happy bunny.**

Also, for those who have seen Hellboy 2, I have started another story about Prince Nuada (yum, yum! XD) and would appreciate if you'd read it. For those who haven't, you've been DEPRIVED!!! Watch it because you are missing out on an amazing movie and an equally amazing character. Then go read my story. And review.

Anywho, thanks for reading and a lot of hugs and kisses and chocolate chip cookies to those who have **reviewed** and *gasps* **FAVOURITED **me!!! I solemnly swear that I will update as soon as I possibly can. Pinky promise. : P

Lotsa love,

O.N


	7. Outbursts and Scores

**AN:** Wooot!!!! I managed to squeeze in this chapter when I should really be revising but it was too distracting so.....*squeals* Look at the pretty birdie!!! Oh, sorry. Where was I?! XD

Ah, now I was so happy that you reviewed that I shrieked with joy and fell out of my chair which earned a few startled glances from the strangers next to me. But to reward you for your most excellent response, I shall try and post the next chapter soon and also give you all hugs and TRIPLE chocolate chip cookies and cold milk. MILCH!!!!!!

And thank you to those who reviewed and PLEASE keep reviewing. It really boosts my morale and keeps me happy. And really, I do enjoy being a happy bunny but sometimes I get angry and you don't want me in a mood. So REVIEW!!! Hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Disclaimer: **Roses are red, Violets are blue, I don't own Darker than Black and I never will, too.

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Chapter Seven

I stopped in front of the play park, releasing a quiet sigh. Even from this distance, I could see the silhouettes of all my team mates and I bet that I could have guessed who was who as well. Huang was smoking so I could see when he noticed me, the wisp of smoke that was trailing into the air slowly changed direction and I could now see the faint glow of crimson from the cigarette. He saw me standing there and shouted at me to hurry up.

"You! Hurry up and move your lazy contractor behind NOW! You've already missed the last meeting so now I have to inform you about what's happening and waste valuable time..."

Huang was very angry. I hadn't really expected him to be this pissed off and I was secretly hoping that I'd get some time to prepare myself before his rant, but he was unexpectedly furious.

"Ermm...sorry? I think Hei told...." was all I managed to say before he interrupted me.

"SORRY?"

Oh darn, I only managed to incense him further with my apology. This wasn't good...

"YOU'RE SORRY? I DON'T GIVE TWO HOOTS ABOUT YOUR INSINCERE APOLOGY, YOU STUPID CONTRACTOR! You don't feel the necessary emotions to be sorry about anything so shut your worthless trap and listen!"

I flinched and lowered my head in mortification. I had never had this much anger and hatred directed at me.

_Sure you have! Just remember the last group you were with...you had the entire group hurling abuse at you and then there was the group before that who..._

"Shut up" I hissed at myself. My mind was really annoying me and it wasn't being useful at all in this situation.

Huang, however, froze in the middle of his speech on the worthlessness of contractors to fix me with a glare so icy, I felt my blood freeze inside my veins.

"Did YOU just tell ME to shut up?!"

Oh. No. This was not happening. I only realised then, that everyone else was still sitting there and watching us with the same interest as they would watch any television drama. I mean we were as good as any soap, with our outrageously loud argument, well...Huang arguing and me sitting there and allowing him to throw abuse at me. My ears were ringing with the vocabulary he was using as he insinuated something along the lines of my parents having been either Satan himself and me being the spawn of the devil, then that I must be the stupidest contractor out there and apparently how even Hei, who he thought was a dunderhead and a waste of a contractor if there can be a waste of something like that, is smarter than me.

I nodded at first, as he was saying this only to realise he was getting angrier at the sight of me agreeing with him so I hastily tried to remedy that situation by staying as still as I can. I managed to catch a glimpse of the others while I had my head bowed down waiting for Huang to cool off.

Mao was stretched imperiously along the bench with Yin and Hei sitting either side of him. He glared at me and languidly licked his paw before unsheathing is claws and scratching something into the side of the tree that the bench was placed around.

_Mao- 1 _

_Jain- 0_

I tried to stifle the snort of contempt that was threatening to escape and ended up looking like I had constipation and my fists were clenched from the effort of trying to hold in the laughter that was about to explode out of me. Huang's face turned an alarming shade of puce. I bit my lip and grimaced when my teeth cut my bottom lip, letting a little blood drip down.

Unable to control myself any more, I jumped up and exclaimed,

"Oh GREAT! Just what I need, more blood on my clothes! Not like I haven't stained most of them already."

Everybody stared at me like I had grown an extra head. Knowing me, it was probably something worse.

_Your trousers have fallen down._

In a panic, I started patting my legs in attempt to pull up my _fallen _trousers only to discover they were still on me. I looked down in fleetingly for a final check before peeking at the others. Unfortunately they were still looking at me like I was insane.

_HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, Made you look! And you are insane, silly! Why else would you actually for fall a trick played by yourself. Huh? Not so clever now are you, Einstein?_

Great. Now my mind was playing tricks on me. I swear in the silence I could hear a voice in my head chortling while I stared at my suddenly extremely interesting shoes.

Hei coughed lightly and everybody jumped as if he had just shocked them. Me, included.

"Huang, do you want to fill her in on the details or should I do it while we walk back. It's getting light now and I have to report for the new job today."

Huang nodded swiftly, before stomping off towards the miniature gate of the park. I hadn't noticed the pale light that streaked the eastern sky or the brief dazzle of sunlight before it was hidden from view behind the ominous clouds that were gathering at the horizon. I did however notice the acidic glare Huang shot me before he left the park.

Once again I sighed, before moving over to where Hei had stood up. Yin was gazing into the distance but inclined her head in my direction when she heard the approaching footsteps.

"Hello Jain-san, I hope you feel better."

Her voice was a low monotone but somehow I managed to catch the barest hint of emotion behind it and replied thankfully that I was fine. She nodded her head and left in the direction of the tobacco shop she lived in. I had seen her there once before but it had been while I was running towards somewhere else so I wasn't entirely sure it was her.

Mao gave me a Cheshire cat grin (**That's a pun, people XD**), displaying his pearly white fangs before drifting off into the streets to do whatever a cat/contractor does during the day.

Hei started to walk and I fell in step beside him. We were silent for most of the journey, our faces both determinedly looking at everything but each other. I knew he was still embarrassed and I was too, but after the silence stretched on for an uncomfortable period of time I decided to break it.

"Weren't you supposed to fill me in with the details?"

"Oh. There are a few contractors in town who are dangerous, I'm working in the restaurant of one of them, and you are to report to work with me. I'll fill you in on the details on the way there. Now get some rest, we've got time before we have to leave."

His answer was so swift, that before I could analyse what he had said, I realised we were at our apartments and he was running up the stairs. I tried to follow him but by the time I was at the top step, he had shut the door to his room behind him.

I walked into my room and sat down on my bed.

That was an interesting meeting.

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**A/N: **So what do you think? I wanted to make sure they had the right emotions because after the previous chapter, I don't think they'd all be namby pamby. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed that chapter, and **PLEASE REVIEW!!!**

I'd love to thank all the people who have REVIEWED and** FAVOURITED **me!!!

Hope you all enjoyed that, and I'll try and get the next chapter out as soon as possible.

Lots of reviews = me/Happy bunny XD

Please review, it keeps my morale and happiness counter up, up, UP!

Lotsa love,

O.N


	8. The Joys of Employment

**A/N: **I'm so sorry for not updating sooner, but I was so busy during these holidays. Even though I am out of school for now I still have bucket loads of work! It defies the whole concept of 'holiday' that I have homework to finish. So I'm sorry and thank you all for the reviews, I'm ecstatic that so many people have read this story! Woo! And I hope you enjoy this chapter, I'll try and get the next one up soon.

Probably.

Hopefully.

Meh.

**Disclaimer:** Don't you guys know by now that I don't own Darker than Black? Sheesh, talk about slow.

I'm kidding. Please don't leave! Come back...*chases readers who have run away*

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Chapter Eight

I didn't realise I had fallen asleep until my alarm clock started shrieking harshly next to my ear. I slammed my hand down on it so hard that it fell off my bedside table. With a groan, I dragged myself out of the bed and into the bathroom for my morning ablutions. My hair was sticking up in all directions and I looked a mess. So much for sleep being the best thing for you. After sorting out myself in the mirror, I had a quick shower and dressed in my smartest outfit to be ready for 'work' today.

_Work. Oh joy. _

_Not. _

For once, I agreed with my mind. I enjoyed work when I was actually at a job I liked but after countless changes in my contractor lifestyle and shifting from city to city, I always felt that anything remotely enjoyable in my job was a bonus. I had started to feel like a robot in a factory, just mindlessly repeating the same thing over and over again.

Once I had a quick breakfast of noodles, I rushed out of the door only to walk into Hei. He had his fist poised over where my door should have been so I assumed he was tired of waiting for me to come out.

_Wow, you're making a habit of running into him. Some would even think that you enjoy running into him and that's why you do it so often._

I blushed furiously at myself and mentally slapped myself.

_OW! That is not nice, missy. Violence is a bad habit._

Barely smothering the snort that was threatening to escape, I stepped away from him and tried to look as calm as possible. That was easier said than done because every time I looked at him a blush started to creep into my cheeks. This was getting beyond ridiculous now.

"Morning Hei"

He responded with a smile then started his descent down the stairs. I just stood there gawping after him, having noticed how when he smiled his whole face lit up.

_Aw, that's so sweet it's sickening. You'd think you have a little thing for him. This gives me a bigger incentive to make you embarrass yourself in front of him._

"Oh be quiet, will you?!" I muttered to myself.

_Actually...let me think about that....ermm...how about...NO!_

After I mentally berated myself, I realised he was halfway down the stairs and ran to catch up. So I didn't notice Mao sitting on the rails of the stairs, and I didn't notice it when he conveniently slunk down into my path causing me to trip and go flying into Hei sending us both tumbling down the stairs. We lay in a heap on the bottom of the steps, too shocked to realise what a precarious position we were both in.

That was before we hear a loud cough and saw Mrs. Tanaka standing near us clutching a broom and looking at us with pure glee on her face. I was at first confused as to why she was so happy before I looked down and saw Hei's face just inches from mine.

With a huff I tried to roll off him only to find that our legs were so entangled that he just rolled over with me and we ended up in the same position. After realising this at the same time as me, we both managed to extract our limbs and roll off in opposite directions. I let out a sigh of relief and Hei mirrored me again.

I stood up and brushed dust of my dress, before being distracted by Mrs. Tanaka cackling at my misfortune. I realised my face was beet red and she laughed louder. Then noticing Mao on the stairs staring imperiously down on the scene, her cackles petered out and she ended up locked in a glaring competition with him. I was reminded of the first time I met her and when I noticed that she was advancing towards him with her broom held like a weapon, I pulled Hei from the floor where he was still lying and fled from the scene before it turned ugly. I was still giggling when we were a few streets away and then noticed that I was still holding his hand.

I dropped it instantly and realised that I was always behaving stupidly around him.

_Well, he does bring out the best reactions in you.*snort*_

Did my brain just snort at me? I shook my head and looked at Hei instead. He was a wonderful distraction.

"Are you alright, Hei? That was a bit of a tumble you took back there." I asked. I was having trouble keeping a straight face when I realised that Hei was quietly chuckling to himself.

"Hmm? Oh yes, I'm fine. I'm sorry; it's just that I'm going to have so much fun at the next meeting ribbing Mao about this." He smirked at me before stopping in his tracks. His eyes widened as he looked down at his watch. He clapped his hand to his forehead.

"We have to hurry. We have to report to work in 10 minutes at it's in the centre of town. Traffic will be busy at this time as well. Damn Mao, he's got us late for work! "He exclaimed.

He sped up so that he was almost sprinting, with me actually sprinting behind him. We ran through heavy traffic and crowds of early morning workers, weaving through the hustle and bustle of Tokyo on a weekday morning. Puffing and panting, we managed to arrive at the restaurant a minute before we had to report in.

Our supervisor greeted us both with a raised eyebrow at our slightly dishevelled appearance and barked at us to straighten ourselves out or we'd be delegated dish duty. Without any gloves.

_Oh, the horror....is that the worst you've got?_

I smirked as I thought if that was the worst this job had to offer then I was going to have a good time here. Hei, on the other hand looked repentant and the man calmed down enough to order us into the front room to start waiting on the customers. Even at this time, there was a crowd and soon I got lost in the flood of orders coming in that I only stopped when the man told me to go and take a short lunch break. Hei was sitting in a corner of the room, already on his break. He had been washing the dishes after smashing three plates in a row in front of customers. It was amazing how human he was compared to other contractors. Even me.

"Sit down, Jain. I'll fill you in on the details of the mission as quickly as possible." He managed to say this while slurping down bowls of noodles. I just nodded, too bemused by the sight of him to say anything.

"The contractor who owns this restaurant, he's a boss of a group of contractors who act as mercenaries for private companies. He was supposed to be in contact with a group called Evening Primrose..."

I stopped him there.

"Wait! Did you say Evening Primrose? Isn't that the group that contractor we confronted at my old job said he worked for?"

He merely nodded then continued like I hadn't interrupted.

"We have to see if there are any imported items coming to the restaurant that could be used to make explosives, so we can confirm that he was behind the bombings. The boss comes in every Friday to check that everything is running smoothly. The delivery truck drops off the items on Friday morning so I'm guessing that the boss also comes to check up on those as well.

I was halfway through a bowl of noodles and just gestured for him to carry on. I didn't want to make myself look stupid by spraying him with half chewed food just so I can answer. He finished by saying our job was just surveillance before our supervisor stepped up to us and started yelling at us to hurry up and finish because our lunch break was now over, and that if Hei wanted to flirt with me than he could do it in his own time. My response was to flush bright red and hurry into the kitchen only to hear the sound of Hei dropping his bowls behind me and the exasperated groan from our manager.

I decided it was going to be a long week.

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**A/N:** So what did you think? I tried to make it a bit longer to please you...did it work? Any mistakes you've spotted? Anything you'd like to say?

I didn't find this as funny as some of the others but it is more of filler than anything else. Tell me what you think, that is a plea for you to review in other words. XD

And thank you to all those who reviewed again, and to those who review you can have any character from the show that you want. You can keep them for a week but I'd like them back by the end because my muse tends to get lonely without any friends to play with. :P

I'll try and update soon. I promise.

And once again, REVIEW!!!

Lotsa love,

O.N


	9. Operation Stupidity

**A/N: **Hey guys, sorry to say but exams are coming up and I'm finally revising so the updates will only happen when I can squeeze in some writing time. Which I will so...never fear! Hope you like the chapter and I'm very sorry about the slowness of the update...just came back from a ski holiday. A belated New Year wish to everyone. :P

I will just say that I do not own Darker than Black or I wouldn't be secretly wishing for the characters to be real. (Which I totally don't...psshh. XD) I mean who wouldn't want Hei to be real. Just ignore the fact he is a dangerous person who could kill us all in a blink.

And for any who have been watching the new series...don't you think they're killing all the cool people off really quickly? I mean the Magician was one cool dude and then...BAM! He's gone. Aww why do all the cool ones have to go? And the series was really good, although I have to say I was disappointed that we didn't see as much of Misaki as I'd hoped. Hope they do another one.

And this chapter is going to be short as it's the build up to the next action scene which will be in the next chapter. So read on...

Chapter Nine

To say that my week was uneventful would be a blatant lie. Working in the same environment as Hei meant you had to become accustomed to him falling and smashing things or tripping and throwing food in the face of customers.

But somehow he wasn't fired. I think that was more to do with the lack of staff and the increasing number of consumers in the restaurant. And the number of teenage girls who seemed to become regular customers when he was on waiter shift may also be another reason as they nearly doubled the sales that week.

But the week passed on with him entertaining me and the customers and the manager slowly losing all semblance of sanity. But I couldn't forget that this was a mission and we would have to leave after we completed our objective.

The days flew by and finally Friday arrived. I woke early, my thoughts stealing any chances of a good night's sleep from me. Lately I had been having nightmares, each one ending with a face I'd never seen before disappearing into thin air and everything crashing down on me. By that point I usually woke but yesterday night had been particularly bad. My brain didn't help either, doing a running commentary throughout each dream that not only annoyed be but did nothing to calm my frazzled nerves.

Wrestling out of my duvet, I made my way into the bathroom and started on my daily routine. I looked a mess.

_Well, nothing new there. Actually it's an improvement from your normal look of idiot._

"Argh! Shut up! I can't believe I'm screaming at myself..."

_I can't believe you are either. You really must be as stupid as you look._

To shut myself and my head up, I dunked it in the sink and proceeded to silently clean my face.

_Now I can't believe you're ignoring me. That's not very mature now, and you wouldn't want Hei to think of you as a little girl. _

That caused me to choke on my toothbrush. With watery eyes and a foaming mouth, I finished brushing my teeth and progressed onto my shower, hoping a cold one would silence it. And all the way through it I got the distinct feeling that if I could see its expressions, it would currently be smirking at me.

A full (and strangely silent) breakfast later, I changed into my work clothes and opened the door to wait for Hei. Running back through that week in my head to make sure I knew all the escape routes and where the truck would be arriving, and when the boss would arrive.

I was so lost in my own head that I didn't notice Hei standing there looking bemused as he waited patiently for me to snap back to reality.

_Wow, you've managed to look like a complete idiot to him so many times that he now finds it funny. Do a few more stupid things and he may even offer you a pity hug._

I actually growled at myself and Hei stopped smiling and looked worriedly at me.

"Are you alright? You are acting a bit out of sorts this morning..."

_There you go! You've already got him feeling sympathetic towards you. Operation Stupidity might actually work for you. Goodness knows you're a natural at it._

"Yes Li-kun, I'm just feeling a bit out of sorts" I managed to say through gritted teeth. There were times when I really wish that my brain was just silent and now was one of those times. Walking down the stairs with an increasingly strong headache was only accomplished by me leaning heavily on the banisters and taking it a step at a time.

_Before you looked like a crazy person with a little bit of my help. Now you've managed to make yourself look like a toddler without any assistance from me and all the neighbours saw it. _

My eyes widened as I looked at the adjacent windows and sure enough, all the neighbours were peering through the glass and laughing at my attempts of descending the stairs.

_Told you so._

Rubbing my head to try and relieve the pain didn't help as at that moment Mrs. Tanaka appeared at the bottom and startled me by declaring, "If you take any longer walking down those stairs, the sun will have set and you'll be trying to climb them in the dark." Then as an afterthought she added "Although all of us would find that an amusing sight."

Annoyed at everyone's childish behaviour, I straightened my back and proceeded to fall faster down the steps. However I didn't take into account my brain's plan of making me look stupid in front of Hei.

_Boo!_

The loud noise made me jump and lose my footing. Sliding down stairs may be fun but it isn't when you're face forward. And doing a face plant into the ground at high speeds is definitely not fun.

Hei, behaving like the gentleman that he is, helped me up and brushed the dirt off my clothes but even he couldn't stop smiling all the while. I fumed silently as we left the apartments and we walked in silence towards the restaurant.

As we reached the staff entrance, Hei suddenly stopped so I ran into his back and stumbled a bit. He turned around quickly and grabbed onto my shoulders to stop me from falling causing me to tumble into his arms.

And that is how Hei ended up hugging me, albeit a bit awkwardly.

_Operation Stupidity is successful._

I groaned and Hei immediately released me. Blushing furiously we both entered the restaurant at the same time causing us to get stuck in the doorway. He backed off to let me in and we stepped through. As we checked in our shifts, he glanced at the nervous manager and gave me a slight nod.

Time to begin our mission.

**A/N: **Hope you liked it and do feel free to leave a review. I do enjoy them. :P I'll try and update soon so you won't get too annoyed.

Lotsa love,

O.N


	10. Clues and Clumsiness

**Author's Note: **Hello lovely people, I've finally managed to get the chapter out, thanks to my fantastic new beta CreativeKiss. I'm posting now because I have exams from next week which will last over a month so I won't be able to post again until mid-June so this is a consolation prize. I'm certain I'm going to have a mental breakdown during this period of time so I wanted to get the chapter out before, just for you. I was going to put the fight scene in this chapter but I always think a little suspense is good for the heart. :P

I hope you enjoy the chapter and thanks to all the fabulous people who reviewed the last chapter. You make me smile. :)

Anyways, I hope you enjoy the chapter and read on!

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Chapter Ten

When I entered the back room, Hei had already clocked in and was being briefed about what to do today. I followed his lead and managed to catch the last few sentences.

"...the Boss does not appreciate tardiness and he will be looking for any workers who are not up to the standard he expects, so this might just be your last day. If you work hard then you'll hopefully survive it. Get to work!"

_Well, it is your last day whatever you do, so you might as well go out with a bang._

Again, I wish my brain had a switch so I could just turn it off. I really didn't want to mess today up. Hei told me the rest of what the supervisor had said and we started our first menial task of the day: Packing and moving the old products into boxes so that there would be room for the new deliveries.

The tedium of the job made the time go by quicker than it should have. I discussed some of the plans with Hei, but every time we were about to make a decision, our supervisor appeared and glared our conversation to dust. Glancing at the clock on the wall, I realized we only had half an hour before the delivery van would arrive with the boss following.

_Oops. Better hurry up or the boss will see how "tardy" you are._

Gritting my teeth and earning another strange look from Hei, who was the only other person working in the backroom, I increased my pace. I was getting annoyed with the number of strange looks I was getting from him, and I was also certain that he was now getting used to my strange behaviour, something I didn't want him to think was normal.

_Well, it is normal for you, so you'd technically be lying to him if you told him anything otherwise. And you wouldn't want to lie to lover-boy now; it'd ruin the lovely image I'd built of you for him._

Sometimes, I really hate my brain.

I finished packing the last item into the flimsy cardboard box when the siren started warning us that the automatic door was opening. The sound of a large delivery van could be heard, and I hastily flung the last box onto the pile before dashing to the safety of the far wall. The revving of the engine and the smell of burnt cigarettes clung to the air and I could barely make out the black saloon car parked next to the pavement. The air slowly cleared when the engine finally sputtered to a stop, our supervisor rushing forwards just as the door to the saloon opened.

I could see the glass of the car was tinted black and the thick frame of the door as it opened.

Turning toward Hei, who had been standing quietly beside me and observing as well, I whispered, "The car has a two inch, bulletproof material on the frame and the windows are blacked out and most likely bullet proof, too. We won't be able to cause it much damage without injuring ourselves through exertion as well..."

He nodded and then motioned quietly with his fingers towards the van. It was being opened and two guards had come to stand by each side of it. Clearly someone thought whatever was in it had value.

_Well clearly! I would have thought you'd realise that by now. You wouldn't have been assigned this mission if he was dealing with teddy bears, would you? I'd say use your brain but I'm happy with just insulting you._

I rolled my eyes and waited until the boss had stepped out of his car. Apparently he liked to watch the delivery being carried out so none of the items were misplaced. I'd picked up bits of information about him throughout the week by chatting with the other waitresses, but all I found out was that he was quite good looking, rich and a spoiled prick. He'd flirted with every waitress in every restaurant he owned and liked them tall, blonde and leggy. I was the opposite to all of those things, so I felt I was safe.

_Stop being so complacent, you nitwit. You never know what might happen and you'll jeopardise_ _the mission if you're not on your toes. Wait... am I giving you advice? What is the world coming too?_

I silently agreed. If my head was giving me advice then the situation was really serious. And damn it, it was good advice as well so if I didn't follow it, then I'd be stupid.

I glanced at Hei and he was waiting by the van, ready for the first batch. I walked to his side, and waited besides him. The others also stood in line beside me, looking like robots. Then I heard the clunk of expensive leather shoes on linoleum and the supervisor chattering away to its owner.

Then in a flurry of movement, we began the unloading.

I stumbled backwards as a heavy box was shoved into my arms and then followed after Hei as he entered a separate storage room. Littered around the room were upturned cardboard boxes and a few stubs of old cigarettes from when the employees had taken a sneaky break.

The minutes passed away with the room filling up with boxes and me slowly starting to lose my patience. I began muttering while stacking up the boxes so my fellow workers started to give me a wide berth. Nobody wanted to be close to the crazy lady.

I finally managed to enter the room when it was empty as the manager had allowed us a short, ten-minute break after nearly breaking our backs from the tiring labour. I used a lighter to melt the wax seal on the first box I found and gently pried the lid up. To my disappointment, it was just lots of bubble wrap and several bottles of hand washing soap. Nothing out of the ordinary.

That was until my brain gave me a mental slap which I could actually feel, it was that strong.

_FOCUS! Look more closely, you dunderhead. I sometimes worry how you were ever made a contractor, you can be so slow. I swear a sloth is quicker than you. No. I've changed my mind. A snail is quicker than you because it's an insult to sloths to be even compared with you. Nitwit._

I blinked owlishly before shaking my head and slapping myself.I am such a fool sometimes.

_I know you are._

I could almost feel the smugness radiating from my head.

I rummaged around in my pocket and found a pair of thick, old, leather gloves, which I donned and then proceeded to lift a bottle of the soap and examine it more closely. Now that I think about it, the supposed soap looked a lot more viscous than any I'd ever seen, even the cheap ones. There was nothing apart from the name on the front of the bottle, no label with ingredients and the top was secured shut with a special micro lock. Unfortunately I didn't have anything I could use as a lock picking device, so I just decided to stuff the bottle down my shirt and pass it off as a belly.

_Wow. That's one of the best...I mean worst attempts of smuggling I've ever seen. I mean you top any novice burglar or stupid thief. You are truly one of the stupidest people I've ever seen. And that isn't a compliment. But knowing you, you'll take it as one anyways._

I scowled and retrieved it. I had to find someplace to put it without looking too suspicious.

Down my trousers? No, I'd actually get more looks than if I'd put it down my top.

_Oh. My. God. Only you could even consider that as an option. I'm actually going to have visions of you with a bulge in the front of your trousers for the rest of my existence. You are a genius. And by that I mean you are a complete idiot._

I groaned and looked about. I realized I'd left the box open so I quickly resealed it with my lighter and then progressed to frown at the bottle in my hand. If only it wasn't so damn conspicuous. It'd look odd for me to carry it around in my hand as the people would immediately start to wonder what it was and I had no pockets for me to carry it in.

_How about to hide it in your boots? I mean you already are fairly clumsy so if it made you clumsier, you could just blame it on your lack of coordination._

I smiled.

_That was a joke. I wasn't being serious. You're taking that suggestion seriously, aren't you? I'm not even going to bother..._

I then shoved the bottle down my large, Wellington boots which I'd worn because they were comfortable and also very cool. If not a bit cumbersome and not the latest fashion. But then again, I'm not the fashion type so everything's good.

It did bulge a bit, but I'll just say I've got heavy socks on in case it rains. That sounds like a decent lie.

_For a retard, yes._

_For a contractor with deadly skills, no._

"Oh shut it..." I growled at myself. And then checking to see I'd left no evidence behind, I took off my gloves, put them in my trouser pockets and walked out of the store room, to bump into Hei and my supervisor. The look on the supervisor's face did not comfort me. Not in the slightest.

Puce is not an attractive shade for a balding obese man of fifty.

"Where have you been? You've missed another meeting and the boss wanted to know why one of his employees was late for his speech. He's kindly agreed to wait five minutes so we could find you and here you are in the storeroom when your break was over ten minutes ago! Care to explain?"

I was so tempted to say "No." but the look on Hei's face made me reconsider angering him and instead I tried my best to look contrite and apologetic.

_Say no. You know you want to.... say it and be a brave and stupid person. You're already stupid so you won't have to do much. Be brave. Go on... I dare you to..._

"My mistake, sir. I was trying to finish putting everything away but when I turned to leave the store room, the door had locked and I couldn't get out. I shouted, but nobody answered so I just waited, thinking more people would come back to finish the unloading. I only got let out now when a kind person heard my shouts and opened the door."

He narrowed his eyes, his expression doubtful. So rather than have him go to the door to collaborate the evidence with my story and find the door didn't even have a normal lock, only a key lock which the boss checked when he left, I bowed low and grabbed Hei's arm before speed-walking to the area where all the other employees would be waiting.

I forget to factor the soap bottle in my boot into the equation so I tripped several times, nearly taking Hei down with me on one occasion. By the time I reached the large meeting area, my face was a glowing crimson and I had several bruises from the bottle on my shin. Thankfully, no one noticed that I winced slightly when I walked.

Apart from Hei, but I think that he thought it was because of my falls, not because I had a heavy object in my shoe which was destroying my co-ordination and my legs.

_I'd congratulate the bottle but I don't talk to inanimate objects.*cough*_

Ignoring the jibe against my sanity, I sat down in the closest chair and focused ahead at the stage.

There was no-one there but a spotlight, which they'd managed to conjure up, focused on the low podium where I knew the boss would stand to take his speech.

Settling in, the lights were turned off and the show began...

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**A/N: **Did you enjoy the chapter? Found any mistakes? Have a thought you'd like to share?

Review and make my day! I'm going to be so nervous and I alwys think reviews help. That was a not so subtle hint. Just in case you missed the first not so subtle hint. ;D But anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and I promise to work hard and get the next one out as soon as I can.

Lotsa love,

O.N


	11. Beat the Boss

**Author's Note:** Sorry it's been so long, guys. I've had some important exams and I just couldn't get back into the swing of things. However, it seems that I'm starting to update again and I promise I'll try and do it more frequently now, instead of every few months. :P

Thank you to all the lovely people who have taken the time to review this story, favourite or story alert it. It's lovely to know that you think so highly of my humble work. :')

Now... I have more exams in January but I've decided that as I seem to always have exams now anyways, spending a few hours on this isn't too big a deal. xD So if I fail, I'll blame all of you. Also, this is a bigger chapter to what I normally post, would you be so kind as to tell me if you prefer a bigger or smaller chapter length? Anywho, enough with my chatter and on with the tale!

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Chapter Eleven

The conversation died down, and all eyes turned to the podium. Silence reigned in the meeting room as everyone was waiting expectantly for the boss to begin his speech. Seconds turned into minutes, as time ticked by and people started talking in a hushed murmur. The boss was never late, especially when it was to his own speech. I felt the urge to snicker at the irony of the situation... only a few hours ago we were being admonished for our 'tardiness'. A sudden burst of applause startled me and caused me to turn my head back towards the stage.

The lone spotlight that was focused on the podium flickered for a second before returning back to normal. I glanced at Hei to see if he'd noticed it only to find him staring at the stage with concentration etched on his face.

_Well, at least there's one person on the team who can actually complete a task without someone else holding their hand. __I'd applaud you for having a decent choice in guys but that wouldn't be true. _

I was already annoyed by the bottle in my wellingtons, not to mention I was going to have a huge bruise on my ankle from the amount of times it banged into it. So when my brain decided to share its opinion with me, I accidentally let loose a soft growl of annoyance. In my head, I thought no-one would hear it. I thought it was quiet.

But in the silence that followed that brief applause, it sounded like someone had aggravated a tiger. So automatically all heads in the room turned to locate the origin of the sound.

This was, of course, me.

_You're amazing lack of social skills never fails to amuse me. I would applaud you but I don't want you to growl at me again. What would people think?_

And so I sat there with a cherry-red face and no idea what to say, when someone cleared their throat from the stage and everyone turned towards that noise.

"I swear these people are vultures in disguise. No-one minds their own bloody business nowadays. "I mumbled to Hei. He tilted his head to the side as if he was contemplating my words before nodding and gesturing to the stage.

A man stood behind the podium, his eyes darting nervously around the room while he wrung his hands. As everyone looked expectantly at him, a bead of sweat appeared at his temple and made its way down his forehead. He cleared his throat one more time, pulling at his shirt collar as well as if it was tightening around his neck like a noose.

"Employees of Kateitekina Restaurant and its subsequent chain cafés, please stand to greet the CEO of the company... Mr. Hayate Murakami."

Light applause greeted the boss as he stepped onto the podium, with his wide plastic smile and bleached teeth gleaming in the spot light.

_He's the boss? Well... if you can be a Contractor, then I guess that even a person like that can be one as well._

Slightly annoyed at the insult against me, but I also agreed with my head on this one. In my head, I had pictured the boss as a tall, dark and handsome guy with a perpetual sneer on his face.

In reality; he was of middling height with a bit of a paunch, a hair style suspiciously similar to a mullet and very ordinary features. He had a sneer on his face but it wasn't as threatening as I'd assumed it would be, more amusing to look at; as it made him seem perpetually constipated.

_Looks like lover-boy doesn't have any competition from him, but I can never be too sure with you... you have a predilection for surprising me in the worst ways. Plus, your history with men leaves much to be desired. _

"I'm now going to ignore you, you're really annoying me." I hissed to myself. Unfortunately, Hei was sitting close enough to me to hear this and thought I was speaking to him.

"I'm sorry, what have I done that's annoying you?" he said in a low voice. Blushing crimson, I shook a mental fist at my mind and turned to him. How was I going to explain this to him without making me sound like a mental person?

_Well, you are a mental person so I'm sure that saying otherwise is a lie and you wouldn't want to lie to Lover-boy... or maybe you do! Is there trouble in paradise?_

Glancing around to check that no-one was looking at us, I turned slightly so I could talk to him. This let me have a clear view of the front where the boss had started his speech with some motivational quotes he had clearly copied from a self-help book. Hei was focused on me, a slight frown marring his features.

"Erm... when I said annoying, I really meant...uh...distracting. Yes, that's what I meant! You were distracting me, so I felt like ignoring was the only option I had left," I said, trying to make it sound like I hadn't just made up that lie on the spot.

"Really, well for that I'm sorry. Please forgive me, I promise not to distract you any longer," Hei murmured back, turning back to face the front. But I thought that for a second, I saw his lips twitch up into a ghost of a smile before he was looking away.

_No, it's just your imagination. Why would someone smile at what you'd say? You're hardly the type to put a smile on people's faces; you're more the kind who wipe them off._

Instead of replying, like I really wanted to, I kept my vow and listened to the speech. It was now drawing to a close; he seemed to have exhausted every topic he could think off bar the most important issues. Those were reserved for his lackeys to reveal, while he was safely ensconced in his armoured car and far away from the workers.

With a final blinding smile, the audience applauded him and he stepped back into the shadows, leaving the stage open for the restaurant manager to dismiss us. Hei and I tensed as we realised that our chance to capture him may be over before we even realised, but we couldn't leave without drawing attention to ourselves.

Time seemed to slow down as the manager droned on about how in the current financial state they had noticed that they were spending too much so in this meeting, there were some cuts to be made and so some of us may not be with a job after this week...

Wait, what? What am I going to do about money...? I don't have another income! Well it's alright for some...

Why am I ranting about this? I'm a contractor; I already knew I was only in this job until the mission was completed.

Oh. Yeah.

_I would have stopped you, but it was far too amusing listening to you talk as if you're a normal person, it just makes you seem more of an idiot when you realise you're just blabbering._

I opened my mouth to say something, then realised that I'd vowed to ignore it so I firmly shut up and instead decided to think of ways to get to the boss before he could leave.

Maybe I could say you had a few ideas to discuss with him... No, I was a low-level employee; I wasn't worth his precious time.

I could pretend that I'm a huge fan of his... But then the idea of acting like I was actually interested in him was too repulsive.

I was coming up with some terrible ideas, so I decided that asking Hei to help would be a good plan.

So when I turned, I wasn't expecting to see everyone focused on me, some like they were pitying me and other like they had just been told I was getting fired.

Like I was getting fired?

_I was getting fired?_

And the sad thing was I could only think 'Not again!'

Hei was shaking his head but I noticed that he was also being stared at, which I assumed meant that he was also getting sacked. It seems that we hadn't made the best impression in the week we had been working here.

At least this meant I didn't have to resign, but I had hoped to leave the job with some dignity. But then Fate clearly thought that wasn't to be. Still, it was quite embarrassing; I would have liked to think that I was coping well in this new work environment.

_Don't be ridiculous, you were about as well placed as a bull in a china shop. You and lover-boy nearly made them bankrupt with the amount of accidents you had, not to mention the number of customers you lost them due to your lack of tact._

I winced, because my head was actually right in this case. I seemed to have deluded myself into thinking that I was doing well, when in reality I was hopeless.

The manager coughed so we all turned back towards him and told us that we should get back to work. For those of us whose presence was no longer required, were told to go to the staff cloakroom, collect our things and leave. The boss would officially release us, and terminate the work contact we had.

That had to be when we had to step in and finish our mission, I couldn't think of another opportunity we would get. And it was better than trying out any of the plans I had thought of.

I stood up and rotated around so that Hei could hear what I was saying but to everyone else, it looked like I was looking at the cloakroom. People passed by and offered their consolations, but secretly happy that it was us and not them.

"What are we going to do about the boss?" I whispered to Hei, while trying to look distraught enough at losing my job for the people going past us. "I hope you have a plan, because I sure as hell don't."

"I do, I'll tell you it as we walk there. He'll be with us in a few minutes so we need to understand what our roles are quickly," he said in a low voice.

Moving past the chairs and towards the cloakroom, Hei and I finalised the plan and got ready to meet the boss.

Well, now he's our ex-boss. So we can't get fired again but we could get arrested if anybody saw what we were doing. These were joys of being a contractor.

I was to distract the boss while in the cloakroom by causing a scene, which would hopefully draw in his bodyguards. Hei would then dispatch them while I took care of his ability to walk. We couldn't have him screaming and attracting attention, so we would then quickly drag him outside into the alleyway since the cloakrooms were strategically placed close to the rear exit.

Then we would start the proper interrogation.

My legs were a bit sore from the battering they had taken while I attempted to walk here with the bottle of soap in my wellies, so I ended up limping to the cloakroom. I was going to have bruises the size of apples on my shins tomorrow, and I couldn't help but wince when Hei nudged my leg when I started to veer off course, due to the fact I was leaning to one side to try and ease the pain.

We managed to make it and waited patiently for him to arrive.

_For someone who apparently appreciates promptness in his employees, he really has no idea how to be on time. Then again, you claim to dislike idiots, yet always end up looking like one._

My mind was still getting the silent treatment from me, so I didn't reply... even though I really wanted to. I was going to be the mature one in the situation.

_*Snort* Mature, you? I think a two-year-old has the ability to act more mature than you._

"I'm calm, I'm calm... I'm perfectly calm," I chanted beneath my breath, trying to ignore the jibes. I was sore, quite annoyed and trying to fulfil a mission; I really wasn't in the mood for my own mind to aggravate me.

Footsteps outside the door alerted us to the fact that the boss was close, a few seconds later and our theory was confirmed. He was even more unimpressive up close, and I tried to control my urge to just prod his face to see if it was real.

"Now, I'm Mr. Murakami but you won't need that information, as you're no longer going to be working for us," he drawled, "I'm afraid it's standard procedure that we do some quick checks before you go, company policy and all that, so stand still while we do the initial body check."

What? A body check? Crap, I have that bottle of soap in my wellies. I tried to signal to Hei that we might need to hurry things up but he seemed to think that I was trying to say something else. Possibly thought I said "Let them, and then we'll act," while in reality I was trying to get the message across that "I have evidence, if they find it we're screwed. Hurry up!"

The two lumbering bodyguards that followed boss moved towards us. I blinked rapidly, trying to think of something that could help me.

_Maybe by causing a scene? You're skilled at those. Perhaps you could flash Hei again; he must have been thrilled that it was that easy last time._

"I am not going to flash anyone!" I growled, causing everyone to stare at me in shock. The bodyguards started to smirk, while the one who was heading towards Hei winked at the one coming towards me.

Oh, great. Now the bodyguards think I'm that easy.

The boss just continued to stare at me like I was some sort of new species in a tank. He looked like he wanted to poke me with a stick. Or at least try and see if I made any more suggestive comments.

Yuck.

"And why ever not?" he leered, "I'm sure me and the boys would appreciate it... Might even let you keep your old job if you give us a good enough show."

The bodyguards laughed with their boss, obviously sucking up to him. I tried once again to get Hei to hurry up, and I think he got it this time. The air in the room crackled with static charge, as Hei lunged and grabbed his bodyguard.

But the man struggled, trying to throw Hei off whilst attempting to kick him. But Hei managed to cling to him long enough to destroy him. In the blink of an eye, he had my guard in a choke hold and then the lump of a man was lying like a lifeless bundle on the floor. We'd forgotten about the boss while focusing on the bodyguards, and he'd managed to back towards the wall and was inching towards the door.

This was my cue, I managed to remember.

_Oh, well done! Would you like a sticker for remembering what may possibly be the only thing you have to do? _

Gritting my teeth, I focused on all the emotion that was collecting inside of me and my eyes started to glow the eerie crimson of a contractor using their power.

The boss screamed as he dropped to the floor, his legs having been destroyed and only little stumps remaining. Blood pooled around him but he remained stoic, ignoring the fact that he no longer seemed to have legs. My eyes widened before narrowing, no-one acts blasé while I'm torturing them!

Hei coughed and shook his head. I'd forgotten that we had to remove him from the premises before some-one came to investigate. I ran forward and grabbed his arms while Hei grabbed his torso. Kicking the door open with my leg, we dragged him through the door and out the back exit, making sure that no-one noticed us.

A few bins were lined further down the alley and we stopped there, dropping him unceremoniously on the ground. His face was a chalky white but he continued to glare at us. It was unnerving, to say the least.

Hei seemed to be in his right state of mind and started the questioning; his deep blue eyes boring into the boring brown ones of Mr. Murakami.

"Are you the leader of the group behind the bombings?"

Silence.

"Jain, if you'd give Mr. Murakami another example of your power..."

He remained silent, although his eyes had widened as he realised what I was going to do.

"Maybe your arms this time... you didn't seem to mourn the loss of your legs too much. Or a more intimate part of your anatomy as a reminder that we are deadly serious," I pondered aloud, knowing that he'd be getting more and more scared from what I was saying. Psychological warfare is such fun sometimes.

"I'm not saying anything" he grunted, his voice empty of the charisma it held just ten minutes ago.

"That's a real shame."

I concentrated on his arm, and his left arm exploded in a flurry of blood and flesh which we got splattered with. He groaned before biting down on his lips to let out anymore sounds.

I glanced at Hei and noticed that he seemed to be staring intently a Mr. Murakami, and I wondered what he was thinking.

He must have realised I was looking at him since he stepped next to me and whispered in my ear, while I kept a close eye on our prey.

"He's supposed to be a leader of a group of contractors, and sources told us he was one, yet he hasn't used his power to get out of the situation... I'm finding this a bit odd. Do you think we've been set up?" he muttered. I turned to face him in shock, if this was true... What were we to do?

A blue glow appeared in the corner of my eye and I spun back around in time to see Mr. Murakami radiating that familiar blue glow and a second later, a sound like a gunshot and he had disappeared. I ran forward towards where he had lain in the hope he had just become invisible but my searching hands collided with only empty air. Hei let out a growl of frustration before stalking off into the street, ignoring the fact he was covered in blood stains. I stood still, expecting to see Mr. Murakami suddenly appear next to me.

Seconds turned into minutes as I waited for my hopeful dream to turn into reality but I was the only one in that alley.

I decided that I'd waited long enough; my shirt was disgustingly coated in the remains of Mr. Murakami's arm and I didn't want to let the stench permeate into it any longer otherwise it would take a ridiculous amount of time to wash out. Not like blood wasn't tricky enough to clean; I seemed to get through clothes like some people would food.

As if to remind me that it still existed, my stomach growled loudly and I rubbed it to try and console it. I needed to get home, get cleaned up and get food. In that order otherwise I might attract unwanted attention. I slipped back into the restaurant and into the cloakroom. I'd left my coat there this morning and it would be useful in covering up the state of my clothes.

I slipped it on, pulled the bottle of soap from my wellington into my coat pocket and slipped into the crowd, anxious to get home.

Huang would be so annoyed at us; I contemplated skipping the next meeting to avoid his wrath. But I was partly responsible for this crew-up and I needed to know what we were going to do to clean up this mistake.

At least I had the soap bottle as evidence.

I had reached the apartments, my little contemplation had made me zone out slightly so I hadn't even noticed how quickly I was walking. Still... I hadn't walked into traffic and caused an accident or anything.

Mrs. Tanaka was standing in the little courtyard, determinedly sweeping, what had to be the most stubborn leaf on the planet. She raised her head and gave me a wide smile with her wizened face before noticing the slightly visible soap bottle in my pocket. Darting forward like a minnow, she pulled it out and gave me another wide smile.

"It's so lovely to see that you're taking good care of the flat, although this brand doesn't look like any I've seen... Is it a new type, my dear? I know plenty of traditional methods that are just as effective, I can pop up now and show you them if you'd like!" she chattered, eager to have someone to talk to.

I quickly plucked the bottle from her hand and, with a smile, said as diplomatically as I could "I appreciate your offer, Mrs. Tanaka! But you see, I'm quite tired from work today and I'd like to get cleaned up as quickly as possible... another time perhaps?"

She nodded sympathetically and let me run up the stairs and to my flat. I unlocked the door and slammed it shut behind me before sprinting for my bed and doing a dive onto it. I was so tired, I could feel my mind shutting down as my remuneration forced me to shut my eyes and drift off.

The last thing I saw before I could fully drift off was a stranger standing in front of me, wearing what I thought was a Halloween mask.

* * *

**A/N: **Well, what did you think? Remember to drop me a review to tell me your thoughts, it really does make my day.

I wish you all a belated Merry Christmas and a slightly early Happy New Year. But that's just how I roll. ;)

Lotsa love,

O.N


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